14 DAY TRIAL // Dutch company AkzoNobel claims to have developed a new generation of cups that it hopes will help protect the environment by drastically reducing the amount of paper waste that ends up in landfills on a yearly basis.
These new paper cups sport a special coating dubbed EvCote. According to Business Green, this coating helps keep them safe from water, grease, and moisture. It also makes them fully compostable and recyclable.
Specialists with AkzoNobel explain that, for the time being, the cups people sip their coffee or ice tea from cannot be recycled without damaging the paper fibers that comprise them in the process.
The Dutch company's new paper cups, on the other hand, can be recycled without harming the fibers in them. Hence, they can be used to make other products. More so given the fact that, in some case, the fibers in these cups become stronger when recycled.
Interestingly enough, AkzoNobel maintains that, thanks to its technology, paper mills can collect the waste resulting from manufacturing processes and put it to better use. Presently, this waste is sent to landfills.
“When paper coated with EvCote™ is recycled, the quality of the paper fiber remains intact – which means the paper can be reused in the production of other paper products,” the company details in a press release on its website.
“Additional advantage is that it enables paper mills to recapture 100 percent of the paper waste from the production process that is currently sent to landfill, resulting in significant financial savings,” AkzoNobel goes on to explain.
Such eco-friendly paper cups are not yet available to the general public. However, the Dutch company says that several restaurants have expressed an interest in acquiring them, and that it is only a matter of time before they hit the market.